29 Sep What do we look for in Graduate and Early Career Ecologists?

This article provides a company perspective on the skill sets students, graduates and early career ecologists might seek to develop, and how to set themselves apart from their peers in a highly competitive job market.

Background

Ecological consultancies vary in the way in which they are structured and the nature of the work they target.  Some recruit large numbers of recent graduates or early career ecologists on a seasonal basis each year to respond to the high volume of survey work associated with e.g. major infrastructure projects. Others aim to secure more varied (often multi-sector) work in an attempt to be resilient to economic and policy changes affecting sectors and projects. These companies have a higher ratio of experienced to early career staff and show less seasonal flux in terms of employee numbers.

BSG falls into this latter category. We recruit relatively few ‘entry-level’ staff each year (and only a few seasonal staff), but tend to retain and invest in developing the consultancy skills of those people we do bring in. This helps integrate them into our team and allows them to start contributing to all aspects of our commercial work.

Prerequisites

There are few essential skills that a graduate or early careers recruit to BSG needs to have other than a good, relevant undergraduate degree and, preferably, a postgraduate degree[1]. These include a clear and demonstrable interest in ecology, some broad-brush field skills (or an emerging relevant technical specialism), motivation and an ability to communicate well. We are not looking for the finished article. We are looking for someone who has an aptitude for problem solving, is likely to develop quickly (given training and mentoring), and will fit into our team.

There are lots of enthusiastic, well-qualified ecologists looking for a career in consultancy. To set themselves apart, candidates therefore need to find ways to stand out from their peers and start to think about positioning themselves for consultancy work during their academic studies.

What Field and Analytical Skills are Attractive to an Employer?

Botanical Survey

Most projects that ecological consultants work on will require baseline botanical survey. There are two survey methods in common use, JNCC’s Phase 1 habitat survey and the UK Habitat Classification. Use of the latter is becoming more commonplace (particularly in England), as it produces higher resolution results that dovetail more easily with the metric used for calculating biodiversity (net) gain.

Both techniques involve classifying habitats based on the dominance / abundance of certain plant species. Both require additional information on habitat condition to be collected if they are to usefully inform biodiversity net gain calculations, and both can be ‘extended’ to collect additional information on the potential for protected species to occur.

Our experience is that many graduate or early career ecologists struggle with the identification of common and widespread plant species. While the botanical survey methods referred to above can be taught, if they are to be applied independently in the field we need to have faith that the ecologist is capable of identifying the species present. Otherwise our interpretation of habitat type and quality will be incorrect, and any conclusions based on them open to challenge.

For these reasons, those ecologists with a well-developed (or even a basic) botanical skill set instantly set themselves apart from their peers at interview.

Protected Species

Much commercial consultancy work is driven by the legal and policy protection afforded to a relatively limited number of fairly widespread species / species groups.  The more regularly encountered in development-related work include hazel dormouse, great crested newt, otter, bats, badger, the more common / widespread reptiles and water vole.

Graduate or early career ecologists who are familiar with aspects of the ecology of these species, have experience surveying for them, and in the case of bats, the use of data analysis software, have an advantage over their peers.  Demonstrable experience can be gained through the selection of applicable research projects during academic studies, membership of mammal, bat or other special interest groups (which actively undertake field recording), and through completing seasonal work at consultancy companies.  Some applicants for ecologist roles have already secured European Protected Species survey licenses: to have done so is a clear advantage.

Experience with more regionally restricted and/or habitat-specific protected species, such as red squirrel, sand lizard, pine marten, white-clawed crayfish or marsh fritillary will be valued differently by different companies depending on the nature of their work and the areas of the country they are most active in.

Ornithological Experience

The ability to identify birds by sight and sound is very useful in a graduate or early careers recruit, as an element of bird survey work is typically required to inform most large-scale developments.  Not all development projects require bird survey, however. Due to this and the number of technically proficient freelance ornithological surveyors, being an accomplished birder, while very useful, is less advantageous (when applying for early career ecologist positions) than having an equivalent level of proficiency in botanical or protected species survey.

GIS and Remote Technologies

GIS enables the transfer of georeferenced data within project teams, and is particularly useful for passing on information concerning ecological constraints during the development design process. GIS is also extremely useful for analysing and presenting large ecological data sets and for making the precise measurements of habitat area required for biodiversity (net) gain calculations.  It follows that a good understanding of the applications of GIS is advantageous in a recruit, as it is integral to the service we provide.

Experience of remote data capture methods is also very useful; in addition to bat data loggers, remote-activated and infrared cameras, thermal imagery, drone and CCTV footage are now all increasingly integrated into industry standard ecological survey methods. Often the intelligent application of these technologies to address potential gaps in our understanding of how species use sites (and complement more traditional methods) can be critical to a robust assessment of likely impacts.

Understanding and feeling comfortable with the application of remote technologies and with GIS are therefore very attractive attributes in a potential new recruit. New recruits with knowledge and experience in these areas will help us think more creatively about how to continue to improve our service to our clients.

The Importance of Effective Communication

Most consultancies are heavily reliant on repeat work. Achieving repeat business requires effective verbal communication, an ability to develop positive relationships with clients and nature conservation stakeholders, a proactive approach to project management and an ability to deliver high quality written outputs. Good written and verbal communication is therefore critical in a graduate or early career recruit.

The first insight we get into an applicant’s ability to communicate in writing is through their CV and covering letter. The primary function of a CV is obviously to showcase relevant experience. It should demonstrate the commitment of the candidate to working in the industry, and detail how volunteering or other means of self-development have been relevant to growing the skill set needed for a consultancy role. Membership of professional societies (including CIEEM) and nature conservation groups, and attendance of training courses shows industry awareness and commitment, but it is the contributions made to these bodies and learning outcomes from training that are sometimes missed. Similarly, many graduate or early career ecologists will have completed seasonal or casual work with consultancies; the value of this in developing field skills and knowledge of how the industry works need to be expanded upon in the CV to make it most effective.

The covering letter should complement the CV by stating why an applicant thinks they are suitable for the job as advertised. When shortlisting for interview it is the combination of demonstrable field skills, commitment to career progression, and how well individuals communicate that sets some applicants apart from others.  While it is reasonable to expect that the interview process (which may incorporate a written exercise) is the best test of communication skills, in a highly competitive job market, investing effort in refining a CV and covering letter is time well spent to maximise your chances of getting there in the first place.

What an Ecological Consultancy Should Offer You

There are a lot of good employers out there; it is time well spent to do some research into who they are, and to be prepared to ask questions at interview. A company that works on a variety of projects across different sectors will help staff develop into more rounded consultants with transferable skills. Robust and effectively-implemented TOIL and wellbeing polices should be expectations, as should a structured training programme; good companies want to retain their staff through creating positive working environments.

Conclusion

While graduate and entry-level opportunities in ecological consultancies are keenly contested, there is much to be positive about as a graduate or early career ecologist looking for employment. There are plenty of posts to compete for; recruitment often takes place in the winter and early spring, but adverts are now increasingly starting to come out in the autumn.

Finally, if you have the drive to develop the right field skills to complement your qualifications, and present yourself effectively through your CV and covering letter, you will set yourself apart from most of the other candidates competing with you. The earlier you recognise these things in your career, the better your decisions will be around developing your skill set, and the easier you will find it to secure the position you aspire to with a company who will support your development.

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[1] Note that there are other routes into the profession that do not require a degree, such as apprenticeships and vocational qualifications.

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